ILLUMINATED PILOT LADDER STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN

THE COURT Room at HQS Wellington on the river Thames in London is multifunctional, but it does not happen very often that it houses a ‘stairway to heaven’. That happened when the prototype of an illuminated Pilot Ladder was put for show in that very room. “The electric light was switched of, to give a good impression of the visibility of the ladder”, recalls outgoing Nederlands Loodswezen president Rein van Gooswilligen, who was present at the time the demonstration ladder and various rope products where shown at an international pilots conference onboard HQS Wellington. He considers the ladder to be an innovative step towards safer embarking a vessel. At least the pilot, who has to climb the ladder in the dark, can see where he goes.

The official launch of the pilot ladder and other products of Life Light Solutions is planned for the trade show Seawork 2009 at Southampton on 16th – 18th June. Marine Director of Life-Light Solutions Captain Michael Lloyd and Technical Advisor Tony Kilvert were quite willing to give Navigator.NL a sneak preview of their invention, prior to the launch. Being aware that the real works give the most proper impression, Captain Lloyd said: “You will see from photographs that we illuminate the ladder rope from which the ladder is made. Only a low battery power is required, owing to the lighting technology. When illuminated, it also throws secondary lighting onto the steps. The lighting is visible through smoke, rain, and fog. This has been tested by the US Airforce.”

Technical Advisor provides in-depth information when he elaborates about the developing process of two years for the rope, which resulted in ‘a unique Electro Luminescent wire’. “This is blended into the normal synthetic rope supplied for pilot ladders by our associate rope company Southern Ropes Ltd. As this does not interfere with the Safe working load or the Breaking Strain of the rope, no additional certification is required. The rope is then used by whatever ladder manufacturers we approve to make up pilot ladders to order. The colours can be what ever is required, but we would normally recommend white or blue-white which we have found giving the best lighting.”

He added that the power source can be 110V, 240V, and even a small rechargeable portable 12v battery power pack unit. It is a matter of simply plugging in, without having any trailing wires to main electrical supply, when rigging the ladder. Kilvert says that varying with the ladder’s length the charge will last for many hours of illumination. It can be recharged from the mains supply and kept for the next use.

The rope is completely weather proof and will illuminate under water. Unless the rope is severed completely, the lighting cannot be damaged. Test prove that the lifespan is over 30,000 hours of use. The lighting does not deteriorate over time.
Kilvert readily points out that the rope used in pilot ladders is multifunctional. “We make an illuminated rescue line of 12mm size, gangway ropes, protective barrier rope and we can supply any size of rope to order with whatever colour is required.”

Safer alternatives

It appears that the Guidance for Naval Architects and Shipyards on the Provision of Pilot Boarding Arrangements, issued by IMPA, inspires innovative people to invent safer alternatives for the old fashioned pilot ladder. IMPA warned about a trand in recently built ships to place the pilot ladder aft on the quarter. “This creates a dangerous situation for pilot boats”, the association of over 8,000 pilots in more than 50 countries stated in its Guidance booklet, giving the reasons as to why. It it the professional technical body also observed more hazardous situations, adding that during 2006 eight pilots died in accidents connected to boarding vessels.

It certainly made those interested in safety think again. One of them is Didriek Larsen who got an academic degree at the Antwerp-based polytechnic Hoger Instituut voor Integrale Productont wikkeling for developing the ‘boarding pilot’ as a safe alternative for a regular pilot ladder. Larsen’s invention is a rope ladder integrated in a framework onto with the steps are stacked. The ladder is lowered alongside the vessel, after which electromagnets cling it to the ship’s side. The pilot is secured by a fall protection device during embarking and disembarking, blocking fall completely. Handles and rubber non-slip surfaces provide a firm grip during climbing.

Larsen’s ‘boarding pilot’ shows at least that the inventor has taken IMPA’s recommendations on pilot transfer arrangements to heart. Pilots hope that ship designers will be encouraged to consider all aspects of pilot transfer arrangement at an early stage in design. They can follow the example equipment designers and manufacturers, who have already found a safe ‘stairway to heaven’.